I doubt spot metering a gray card would have helped. There's just too big a difference between the brightest and darkest parts of the image. You could maybe take two exposures..one for the highlights and one for shadows and combine the two.

Question: What was your lighting setup here, Syd? Looks like two, possibly three sources.(yes, the top strobe is blowing you out here)

The problem in low-light situations is not the dark(you can adjust your exposure forvirtuallyanylevel of ambient light) but the light.If you spot meter off your shadows and highlights here, you would most likely find a range far beyond your camera's capabilities.

You want to keep your shadows dark and tame the highlights on the counter top? Back off your strobe, or diffuse it. (careful or you'll lose your shadows) Or... you could bring up your secondary lights a stop or two, (decreasing the dynamic range) while decreasing your exposure by the same amount.

I like the concept and composition here, the camera tilt notwithstanding. I don't mind the chair on the right either, though I think repositioning the secondary light on that side would bring some interesting shadows into play. There isa bit of shadow on the lower left that I find a little off, but that's such a nit-picky point; forget I mentioned it. I like how the table is isolated in its pool of light, but I think it's about two stops over exposed.

This was a difficult one to set up. I hoisted a metal halide lamp about twelve feet above the table hoping to give the effect that the light was comming from the candle. I also used three seperate fluorescent ring lamps, one at each side and the other more towards the left. The studio was set up to give the feel that this shot was taken through a restuarant window by a passer by.

Actually . . . it was taken by a passer by (me) through the glass of a restuarant window in Natural light mode.

3. Be Constructive
Critiques should always be constructive, i.e., giving your ideas at how you think things could be improved. If you cannot give a constructive critique, please refrain from posting negative comments.